#WEP WINNERS - OCTOBER 2022 THRILLER CHALLENGE - CONGRATULATIONS ALL! CHECK OUT THE FULL SHORTLIST.

Hello friends!

 What an amazing group of entries for Michael Jackson's Thriller challenge. All entertaining, some dazzled, some broke our hearts, some challenged our concept of horror. This prompt took us in all directions. Thanks to all the superbly talented writers who participated. The WEP challenges are such fun, but so very hard to judge.

Thank you, everyone, for your outstanding entries:

Thanks to Jemi, here's a round-up of the taglines for all entries posted:

Yolanda Renée - One Foggy Halloween - The power of a kiss

Denise Covey - Run, Sadie, Run - Was Mom right again?

Olga Godim - Thriller - Finding a stolen relic takes guts!

Bernadette Braganza - Halloween Pursuit - A tale of pursuit during Halloween

Hilary Melton Butcher - The Thriller - A bucalling blob slurping its way into the thrill of life itself … a time line of bubbling burping life …

Ornery Owl - Thriller - Sometimes the thing that thrills you most is a mask for what you'd rather not see.

Pat Garcia - Thriller - Behind the big red barn

Jemi Fraser - Hey Thrillers! - A legend of a Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

JQ Rose - Frederick and The Princess - Nearly paralyzed with fright, Frederick struggles to face a situation that is not of his making

Beth Camp - Irreconcilable Differences - The Hunter’s Moon signal’s change

Roland R Clarke - Thriller - In Ukraine, Night Witches gamble their lives against Fate 

Nilanjana Bose - A Different Route To Return - In the end, everything returns via a different route and in different forms

LG Keltner - Only A Prank - Pranks can have unforeseen consequences

J Lenni Dorner - Review To Live - Not reviewing really kills you

Lenny Lee - A Night On The Town - A newbie vampire’s first night out. Will it be feast or famine?

Susan Rouchard - The Trunk - The lights are up, the music begins, but someone is missing

Tanya Miranda - Justice - Crime doesn’t pay

Sally Stackhouse - Waiting - Keeping the power

Mary Aalgaard - Murder Moon - Something evil’s lurking in the dark

Michelle Wallace -Thriller - A flickering street lamp views a tale times three

Shortlist

So many great entries. We had such trouble whittling down our choices. This is our full list, but only 3 could win!

 

Bernadette Braganza

Beth Camp

Pat Garcia

Mary Aalgaard

Susan Rouchard

Lenny Lee

Tanya Miranda

Ornery Owl

The shortlist was reached without too much discussion. We are very aware of personal taste. There are so many not on the above list which we thoroughly enjoyed, but we felt failed to fulfil the guidelines of the prompt. Even though interpretations can be broad, they should reflect the prompt in some way. It is always hard when the writing is brilliant, but the interpretation of the prompt doesn't make the cut.

We all agreed that this was one superb challenge. And now, just one challenge left before WEP begins again with fresh challenges in 2023! Stay tuned!

Don't be disheartened if your name isn't there this round. Maybe next time. Keep writing! Who knows? You could be the winner of the next challenge. Just be careful to write to the prompt!

FINAL SHORTLIST (with some team comments)

Pat Garcia - "...took my breath away!"

Mary Aalgaard - "Brilliant."

Bernadette Braganza - "Cute."

Lenny Lee - "Amusing."

Beth Camp - "A great story idea, beautifully told."

Commenting

Thank you to all those who comment widely, especially those who read and comment even when they do not have an entry in the ring or are unwell. Commenting is super important to us both as feedback towards the improvement of writing craft and as a communication channel for community building.

Sadly, this month as in months past we've had commenting issues. No one's quite sure what is going on, but it is not just a WordPress/Blogger issue. Please check the comments on the WEP post or the C-Box where we posted comments that wouldn't take on blogs. 

Please note that due to incessant spamming issues, we have had to keep comment moderation on. So your comment may not show up right away, but we will get to it soonest possible. We value your comments, please keep them coming. 

Critique Prize

The winner of each Challenge wins a critique prize from professional editors/published writers – our sidebar displays the prizes for 2022. If the winner has no manuscript/WIP ready for critiquing, then the prize is passed on to the runners-up. Therefore, it’s important that the winner(s) let us know immediately if they do not have work ready to be critiqued, so that we may get in touch with the next in line. Also important to submit work for critique within three months of winning so that editors can plan their work schedule. They are busy people and work to definite, often urgent deadlines. So thank you for your cooperation on this matter.

 This month the winner gets a 10,000-word critique from our very own much-published author of crime fiction, YOLANDA RENEE. 

YOLANDA is offering a 10,000-word critique, content edit, or full novel BETA read.: 

The winner also gets a guest post here at WEP on a topic of their own choice.  

FOR THE THRILLER CHALLENGE ONLY!

Along with the generous offer from Yolanda above, we're offering Amazon Gift Cards to the three winners! We know our writers aren't seeking financial rewards, but please accept your gift if you're one of the three winners!

WINNER - gift card of $20 US

RUNNER UP - gift card $15 US

ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD - gift card $10 US

ALL WE NEED IS YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

NOW LET'S CONGRATULATE THE WINNERS! 

THE WINNER OF THE OCTOBER 2022 CHALLENGE, THRILLER, IS MARY AALGAARD

CONGRATULATIONS, MARY

MURDER MOON is a most thrilling entry.

Nick said - "This was very enticing in creating an intriguing setup in very few words and leaving the reader wanting more. Really skillfully done."

MARY, please post this badge and link it to your winning entry. Enjoy the critique prize or pass it on if you’d prefer. Make good use of the Amazon Gift Card. We look forward to a guest post here on a topic of your choice soon.

THE RUNNER-UP OF THE OCTOBER 2022 CHALLENGE IS LENNY LEE -

CONGRATULATIONS, LENNY!

Thank you for the reading pleasure of A NIGHT ON THE TOWN.

Nick said, "This is a lot of fun. Very visual with an old-school comedy vibe. Great puns!"

Lenny, Please take this badge and link it to your winning entry on your blog. Enjoy your Amazon Gift Card.

AND FINALLY, THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE OCTOBER 2022 CHALLENGE GOES TO - PAT GARCIA!

CONGRATULATIONS, PAT!

Thank you for a true Halloween Treat of THE CABBAGE PATCH!

Nick said, “Short and sharp again, leaving us all with a ghoulish image. It could be expanded but leaving the reader to fill in the backstory is the strength of a piece like this.”

PAT,  please take this badge and link it to your entry on your blog. And do enjoy your Amazon Gift Card.

Thank you to all our amazing participants for your entries. We read so many magnificent and magnificently varied takes on this month’s prompt!  

We announce our WEP OCTOBER 2022 THRILLER winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim @jemifraser #amwriting #writingcontest #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/10/wep-winners-october-2022-thriller.html

#WEPFF OCTOBER 2022 THRILLER winners announced @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/10/wep-winners-october-2022-thriller.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest

Come congratulate our OCTOBER THRILLER winners! #WEPFF Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners #writingcontest https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/10/wep-winners-october-2022-thriller.html

Please join us in DECEMBER for our final challenge for the Year of Music Prompts -

Renee and Denise for 

Winners of #WEP October Challenge

"What a phenomenal group of writers WEP has." 

Nick Wilford, WEP judge.

Hello everyone! Jemi here! We would like to thank those of you who took part in the October Challenge THE SCREAM. This is a spooky time of year and our writers certainly delivered! 

Welcome to newbies, Shilpa Gupte  and Neel Anil Panicker. We hope to see you again soon! And welcome back after a long absence, Debbie Doglady. 

Thank you all for writing blurbs/taglines for the stories. Don't worry, if you forgot, we've always got your back.

We'll keep asking for taglines in the next challenges - they're great for practicing pitches for our stories. We thank our co-host, Jemi Fraser, for collating them.

BLURBS:

Denise Covey The Child - Trust is not a given. Sometimes you reach for an apple and are handed a grenade

Yolanda Renée Lucky 13 - 13 can be a very lucky number!

Jemi Fraser The Predator - When there’s nowhere to run

Nilanjana Bose Tangerine - Not all pipers lead evils away. Some lead it into the very heart of cities, and of men..

Olga Godim Scream - Swindlers are eternal. They even travel by spaceships. On the spaceship Mariposa, the Fleet cadet Neville needs to outwit a swindler.

Debbie D Scream! A Nightmarish Tale - Have you ever woken up screaming in the middle of the night?

NR Williams Mud Spiders - While mourning the loss of her beautiful neighborhood, Becca discovers something terrifying. 

J Lenni Dorner Savage Findings - A fictional 15th-century anthropologist delivers his findings, then screams when ignorant royalty destroys his work

Jemima Pett The Scream - A haunted house mystery with added cheese on toast

Jamie The Regret Scream - The Regret Scream is a dystopian flash fiction where Covid is also spread by burning infected bodies, and an antimasker commits manslaughter

Pat Garcia Stop Signs Ignored - Ignoring stop signs can be deadly.

Susan Rouchard Crossing the Bridge - A long road of sufferings, peppered with hope.

Hilary The Scream - When the white man pumps it to work, it screams

Carole Stolz The Scream - The terror of hearing blood curdling screaming in the night... with a twist.

Steph Wolmarans The Scream is Silent - Autism Acceptance because Awareness is not enough

Damyanti Biswas A Smothered Scream On occasion, a scream lasts long, and makes no sound

Carrie Ann Golden The Scream -  Some dares make you scream

Elephant’s Child Un… Sometimes no-one else will hear your screams.

Rebecca M. Douglass The Scream - What terrors lurk in the root cellar?

L.G. Keltner Cries in the Night - Two girls, alone in the woods, face the choice to help or hide when an unexpected danger approaches

Dixie Jarchow The Scream - Forever is fluorescent orange. A true story. 

Lenny Lee Eyes - The Legend of Cornelia Thornheart 

Kalpana Through Rhea’s Eyes - Amara is preparing for Diwali, but her daughter has other questions

Shilpa Gupte The Scream - The cost of freedom

Michael Di Gesu Mommy Kay - fifteen-year-old Kimmie tells the story...she didn't want any part of this trip, but Mommy ALWAYS got her way.

Roland Clarke Crime Never Sleeps - A detective confronts a deadly foe in the mist to save her wife from Death.

Neel Anil Panicker In Search Of An Oasis - A battered and brutalised orphan child discovers sliver of humanity

SHORTLIST

Our wonderful judge Nick Wilford has been a real trooper over the years. We've sent him some long short lists in the past because we had so much trouble narrowing down our choices. And who can blame us? We see so many stellar entries that choosing winners can be a difficult task. Still, this month we did our best to make things easier on Nick by sending him a short list of five. This is not a reflection on the quality of the entries this challenge. There were passionate email exchanges involved as we whittled things down. There were pieces we all loved that did not make the list, so do not despair if you don't see your entry listed here.

COMMENTING

Thank you once again to all of you who continue to comment! Commenting is a major part of WEP's success. The feedback you give your fellow writers helps them improve their craft, and the words of encouragement help to motivate and inspire.

CRITIQUE PRIZE

The winner of each challenge gets the opportunity to receive a critique prize if they have a piece of writing ready, whether it be a full manuscript, a short story or an article. They also get the opportunity to write a guest post for WEP on a topic of their own choice. If a winner has no work for critique, please let us know so we can pass the opportunity on to the next on the list. We need you to contact the editor right away, then send your work in under three months at the most. Editors are busy people who need to plan, so please respect their time.

Our sidebar proudly displays everyone who is offering critique prizes for 2021. You are welcome to contact any of the editors with a request for work. 

This month's critique prize is brought to us by our own Yolanda Renée. She is offering a beta read/critique or a plot critique.  Thank you, Renée!

NOW LET'S CONGRATULATE OUR WINNERS!

THE WINNER OF OCTOBER 2021'S CHALLENGE

THE SCREAM IS:

Congratulations, Elephant's Child, for your entry, Un....

Nick wrote: "The rhythm really hammers home the oppressive feel and air of inevitability, but fortunately, this is leavened by having a hopeful ending. Very thought-provoking".

Sue, please post your badge on your blog and link the badge to your winning entry. Enjoy the critique prize or pass it on if you have no body of work ready. We eagerly await your Guest Post on a topic of your choice!

~*~

THE RUNNER-UP OF OCTOBER 2021'S CHALLENGE

THE SCREAM IS:

Congratulations, Damyanti, for your entry, A Smothered Scream.

Nick wrote: "Just devastating. Highlights how we should never be blase about atrocities happening far away (or close to home) and gloss over them as just statistics."

Damyanti, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog. Congratulations!

~*~

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD WINNER FOR OCTOBER 2021'S CHALLENGE

THE SCREAM IS:

Congratulations, Jamie, for your stunning entry, The Regret Scream.

Nick wrote: "It is interesting that we have something topical here. A very sobering look at how things could have been even worse than they already have been."

Jamie, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog.

~*~

Nick also commented: "Wow. This is so hard to pick. All five pieces hit hard and are devastating in different ways...phenomenal..."

We agree - so many amazing stories and writers!

Stay safe and keep writing, everyone! If you're entering NaNoWriMo, good luck! We endorse it as it's great for getting that first draft done. Let us know how you go or if you need a writing buddy!

Please join us for the DECEMBER challenge, which is just around the corner. That challenge brings us...NARCISSUS. Hope to see you there! PLEASE NOTE: Entries are accepted from December 1, so get busy! Baffled about what to write? Check the CHALLENGES 2021 page.

This prompt has rich possibilities. 

Please note the dates of the challenge. December is a busy month for many people across the globe. We're spreading out the posting times to help out those of you (and us!) with busy schedules.  

~*~

We'd love for you to tweet this post or share it to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

Read amazing entries from our WEP OCTOBER 2021 THE SCREAM winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/11/winners-of-wep-october-challenge.html

#WEPFF THE SCREAM winners announced @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim @jemifraser https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/11/winners-of-wep-october-challenge.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

Come congratulate our OCTOBER winners!. #WEPFF THE SCREAM Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/11/winners-of-wep-october-challenge.html

The #WEPFF writers had some fantastic entries for THE SCREAM! WEP winners announced! @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/11/winners-of-wep-october-challenge.html

Thank you for the writing excellence, WEP Winners THE SCREAM! @LGKeltner @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @jemifraser #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/11/winners-of-wep-october-challenge.html